"次佳”景点有时是更好的旅游去处 'Second-best' is better when traveling

Our family recently went to holy hell in Beijing — and it was a heck of a good time.

最近，我和妻子带着孩子们去了趟北京的东岳庙，玩得非常开心。

My wife and I took the kids to the little-known Dongyue temple, which is devoted to the ancient Taoist afterlife's bureaucratic operations.

圣宫亦即东岳庙，这是一座道观，供奉着执掌往生世界的东岳大帝。 

It's by far my favorite holy site in Beijing, not least of all because bizarre statues of demons, deities and anthropomorphic animals "work" in offices dealing with the dead.

东岳庙是目前我在北京最喜欢去的庙宇，因为里面供奉的恶魔、神灵、拟人动物雕像千奇百怪，各司其职。

Yet it took me 12 years of living in the city to actually visit.

但这却是我在北京居住了12年之后，才第一次光顾。

In fact, the only English-language information I could find online beyond a few vague and dry paragraphs came from a China Daily story — published nearly a decade ago.

实际上，我能在网上找到的唯一一条关于东岳庙的英文介绍，是近10年前《中国日报》上的一篇报道，文字相当简略、平淡。

We were among only a handful of visitors at the large complex, meaning we essentially had hell to ourselves.

置身偌大的古建筑群中，游客相当稀少，加上我们全家也不会超过十人，感觉相当自在。

So, our kids could play hide-and-go-seek in the stele forest without bothering anyone or us worrying about losing them in the crowd.

孩子们在碑林中尽情玩耍捉迷藏，既不必担心他们打扰他人，也不必担心因人多而走失。

Part of the reason we went was that we've discovered that often, "second-best" is better when it comes to travel attractions.

之所以去东岳庙这样的地方，部分是因为我们觉得，“次佳”景点往往是更好的旅游去处。

So, we've been seeking out lesser-known destinations.

因此，我们一直在寻找不那么有名的休闲目的地。

Indeed, the Temple of Heaven and the Temple of Earth hold top spots on most Beijing visitors' itineraries. The "temple of hell", on the other hand, is scarcely known among the city's residents.

天坛和地坛是绝大多数游客的必去之所，而东岳庙即便是北京本地人都鲜有人知。

We started to realize the value of so-called second-rate attractions after having "done" all the major sites in Beijing, and in many Chinese provinces and countries.

游遍了北京以及中国许多省份的所有主要景点之后，我们开始体会到所谓的二类景点的价值。

Sure, visitors to the Chinese capital should see the Great Wall, the Forbidden City, the Summer Palace and the other "top spots".

到中国首都的游客，毫无疑问应该看看长城、故宫、颐和园等“热门景点”。

But I've found many whom I've hosted in the city are often more fascinated by places like the Guyaju fortress, ancient villages, Tianmo's desert and other off-the-beaten-path destinations.

但我发现我在北京接待过的许多友人，往往对古崖居、古村落、天漠沙漠以及其他一些人迹罕至的景点更感兴趣。

What these lack in historical significance, they make up for with novelty. And their obscurity also means less commercialization, crowds and cost — basically everything that can diminish a travel experience.

这些景点或许缺乏历史价值，但却很新奇。它们的默默无闻也意味着低商业化、更少人流和低消费，而这三者往往与旅游体验息息相关。

I've been to many grand temples with of historic grandeur— to the point they've largely blended together in my mind.

我去过许多宏伟的、历史悠久的寺庙，它们深深地印在我的脑海中。

But the ostrich park in Henan's provincial capital, Zhengzhou, is a place I'll never forget. And it's an attraction most people have never heard of.

但是令我终生难忘的河南郑州的鸵鸟公园，对很多人而言却是闻所未闻。

Take Chiang Mai, arguably one of Thailand's top inland destinations. Our family loved it.

就像清迈是泰国最重要的内陆旅游城市之一，我们全家都很喜欢。

But we even more adored a stay in Chiang Rai, a province that attracts far fewer visitors.

但我们更喜欢在泰国的清莱逗留，因为这里的游客很少。

We slept in tree houses in a settlement that otherwise had zero tourism.

我们在一个定居点的树屋里休憩，没有其他游客。

Not only were the accommodations exceptional but also we had a village and rainforest to ourselves.

除住宿环境很特别外，我们还拥有一个属于自己的村庄和一片热带雨林。

We explored the local watt and were the only people there.

 我们探访了当地的村寨，那儿只有我们这几个游客。

It aesthetically approximated many of the famous watts we've seen traveling Southeast Asia but was of less historical significance, which also meant no tickets or touts.

这类村寨跟我们在东南亚旅游时看到的许多著名村寨相似，但历史意义不大，因而也就不需要门票，也没有票贩子纠缠。

We spent much of the trip swimming in a pool beneath a small waterfall. We'd dive from the top of the cascade into the water below, and, if we sat still, wild "spa fish" would nibble our skin.

我们在小瀑布下方的潭水中游泳，流连忘返。从瀑布的顶部跃入潭水，如果坐着不动，野生“温泉鱼”会游过来咬我们的皮肤。

The waterfall and nearby cave are public, but we didn't encounter another soul.

瀑布和附近的洞穴都是开放的，我们没有遇到其他人。

Essentially, the area has what many famous locations have except tourism development. And it's free — of charge, of other travelers, of traffic, of touts.

从本质上讲，许多著名景点的东西这里都不缺，除了旅游开发。因此它完全免费，也没有其他游客，没有交通堵塞，没有小商小贩。

The same goes for many, if not most, "second-rate" spots.

对于许多二类景点—如果不是全部—而言，情况与此相似。

They essentially just haven't been "discovered" or, at least, adequately marketed.

它们基本上还没有被发现，或者至少没有被相应地市场化。

This often means that they not only offer what major sites do but also what they don't.

这意味着这些二类景点通常不仅能够提供主要景点所能提供的，还有后者不能具备的优势。

Indeed, I'd rather go to hell than heaven in Beijing — at least as far as the temples are concerned. It was a lot more fun.

说实话，在北京，如果去寺庙，我宁愿入“地”而不愿上“天”，因为前者有更多乐趣。